Play Free Fox and Geese Online
How Fox and Geese Plays
One fox sits in the middle of an English cross of 33 points. Thirteen geese hold the northern arm. Geese move first: they may step south or sideways, never back, and they never capture. The fox may step in any orthogonal direction or jump an adjacent goose. Nine geese taken wins for the fox; a trapped fox loses. Pick an AI level and a seat, then start.
What You Are Playing
This is the common English hunt, not Tablut and not Fox and Hounds on a chessboard. The board is a 7×7 lattice with the four corners cut away, leaving 33 points. Pieces sit on intersections and move only along orthogonal lines.
The fox starts in the centre. Thirteen geese fill the north of the cross. Geese open. After each goose step the fox may walk one point or jump one goose onto the empty point beyond it. A jump is optional; the fox may step instead.
It looks like black and white stones on kaya wood. In play it is about closing jump landings and keeping the fox from slipping south. The rules page covers the fine print; if you want the feel of the hunt, start with the AI board above.
Thirty-Three Points
Do not hunt for square centres. Fox and Geese is played on the intersections of an English cross. Orthogonal neighbours are linked; the cut corners are simply wood. From move one, practise asking whether the fox already has a jump.
The Fox Jumps, the Geese Surround
If a goose sits next to the fox and the point beyond is empty, the fox may jump and take that goose. Nine captures win. Geese cannot capture or retreat; they win by leaving the fox with no legal move. A jump is never forced.
Hints Follow Your AI Level
Choose from multiple AI levels, then play as geese to move first or as the fox to reply. Hints use the same level, and undo rewinds both your move and the AI response. After the game, replay the turn when a jump landing was left open. All AI calculation stays in your browser.
33intersection points
1fox in the centre
13geese on the north arm
9captures to win as fox
Common questions
Which rules does this board use, and how does someone win?
The default is the common English game: a 33-point cross, a 7×7 lattice with the four corners cut away. Pieces sit on intersections and move only horizontally or vertically. One fox starts in the centre, thirteen geese fill the northern arm, and the geese move first. The fox wins by taking nine geese. The geese win by leaving the fox with no legal move. Jumps are optional, and the fox may jump only once per turn.
Is this the same game as Hnefatafl, or Fox and Hounds on a chessboard?
No. Hnefatafl is a king racing for the corners, with sandwich captures. Fox and Hounds usually has a few hounds driving a fox into a dead end. This board is one fox against thirteen geese: the geese cannot retreat or capture, and the fox can jump an adjacent goose and take it. The names sound related; the board and the way you win are not.
The geese have the fox on the edge. Why hasn't the game ended?
Pinning the fox to the rim is not enough. The geese win only when the fox has nowhere to go: no adjacent empty point, and no jump landing either. If one landing square is still open, the hunt continues. Do not send every goose forward as a chaser. Close the exits one at a time.
Does the first move have to push a particular goose south?
No. This board does not require a particular opening goose. The northern ranks start far from the fox, so it matters more to see whether the centre already has a jump than to march the whole line south. Geese cannot step back north, so each advance should leave the wall intact.
How should I use hints, undo, and replay without just copying the answer?
Choose the move yourself first, and say whether it closes a jump, repairs the wall, or leaves the fox a path. Then open the hint and compare. The hint follows your current AI level; it is not a stronger engine hiding behind the button. Undo takes the AI's reply back with your move, so you land at the fork and can try another idea. Replay is for finding the turn a jump landing opened, not only for watching the last capture.
Can I play without an account or an app?
Yes. Open the page on a phone or computer and move. There is no account, email, or password. Adding the site to your home screen is optional, and a full game works without installing anything.
Can I choose to play the geese or the fox?
Against the AI, yes. As the geese you move first. As the fox the AI plays the opening move. Switching sides mid-game starts a new game, and the pieces already played do not stay. In an online room you pick your side when you create it. Two players on one device do not choose sides: the geese move first, and you take turns.
If I close the page, is this game still there?
Games against the AI, and games on one shared device, stay in this browser. Close the tab and you can usually pick up the same position. Switching from geese to fox, or the other way, starts a new game. Clearing this site's data usually removes those unfinished games. An online room does not store the move list on this device; if the connection drops, opening the page again usually brings you back to the same room.
If I invite a friend online, can I undo and use hints the way I can here?
No. Once an online room accepts a move, that move is sent to the other player. There is no hint and no one-sided undo. Either player can resign or offer a draw. If the connection drops, opening the page again usually brings you back to the same room.
How is two players on one device different from playing the AI?
Two people share one device and take turns face to face. You do not need a network connection, and neither side gets a hint. Undo and replay are still there, so you can stop and talk through a move. The geese always open, so if you are keeping score, play two games and swap who sits as geese.
